FORT COLLINS — When Jim McElwain came to Colorado State, he assembled a largely veteran staff with varied experiences. The only assistant he’s lost since arriving is Billy Napier, now at Alabama as wide receivers coach.

Last week, I wrote a feature on Dave Baldwin, the former San Jose State head coach who serves McElwain as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

On Wednesday, McElwain’s co-defensive coordinators, Marty English and Al Simmons, met with us as part of the weekly availability for selected assistant coaches in rotation through the season. English and Simmons seem comfortable with the shared responsibility and title, and English also coaches linebackers, while Simmons also coaches defensive backs.

English, who was raised in Lakewood and graduated from Alameda High and Northern Colorado, was on the UNC staff for 16 years — being part of two Division II national championships — and then was at Wyoming for nine seasons, under both Joe Glenn and Dave Christensen. In other words, although he’s a veteran coach, he’s not “well-traveled,” given the proximity of this three stops.

Simmons’ resume includes collegiate stops at Montana State,Idaho State, California, Oregon State, San Jose State, Arizona State and UTEP, plus two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

On game day, Simmons is upstairs in the coaches’ booth, English on the sideline.

“I think we just try and communicate as much as possible between series,” Simmons said. “Sometimes they can see things on the sideline that we need adjustments for…In terms of the play-calling aspect, we already have written out kind of the plan of what calls we want to make, based on down and distance and the personnel groups they have in the game, based on the tendencies they have.

“We’re pretty prepared for that, so it’s pretty easy to make the call and roll with it.”

Said English: “It’s been done way before we ever get to Saturday. We’ve rehearsed it and you’re letting the rehearsal part of it go. . . Every now and then, somebody might say it’s a good time for pressure, I think is going to be the best pressure based on their protections, but other than that it’s rolling and it’s great communication amongst our whole staff.”

McElwain’s background is on the offensive side of the ball. How much does he leave the defense — and the coaches — alone?

“I think he’s great,” said English. “There are some things as a head coach, if you want them, you tell us and you get them. But he spends a lot of the time with the offense. He knows what we’re doing.”

Said Simmons: “He’s watching both sides on film. Now, he’s not watching it with us, he’s watching it on his own. But if he sees something, he’ll come in and say, ‘Hey, what are you guys doing with this?’ And sometimes we’ve already answered it.” Simmons laughed and added, “We’re ahead of the game.”

With the Border War against Wyoming coming up Saturday, English confessed he still knows the words to the “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” song.

“I know ’em all,” he said. “I know our song, I know that song, I know the one I had at Northern Colorado. But I’d rather hear ours.

He said of the rivalry: “There’s a lot of kids I know on that team still, and I think it means the same to both sides, I really do. There’s the Boot they both want. It’s here right now and we need to keep it here.”

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.